Chapter IV

AUTHENTICITY AND CREDIBILITY OF THE GOSPEL NARRATIVES. 1. General Remarks--2. Their Authors Sincere and Truthful--3. Competent as Men--4. And as Witnesses--5. Character of the Works which they record-- Supernatural Character of our Lord's Miracles--They were very Numerous and Diversified, and performed openly--6. And in the Presence of His Enemies--7. The Resurrection of Jesus--Its Vital Importance--8. The Character of Jesus proves the Truth of the Record--Its Originality and Symmetry--It unites Tranquillity with Fervor--Wisdom with Freedom from Guile--Prudence with Boldness--Tenderness with Severity--Humility with the Loftiest Claims--He is Heavenly-minded without Asceticism--His Perfect Purity--His Virtues Imitable for All alike--Our Lord's Character as a Teacher--His Freedom from the Errors of His Age and Nation--His Religion One for All Men and Ages--This explained by its Divine Origin--Our Lord's Manner of Teaching--His Divine Mission--Divinity of His Person--Originality of its Manifestations--God His Father in a Peculiar Sense--He is the Source of Light and Life--He has Inward Dominion over the Soul--He dwells in Believers, and they in Him--The Inference--His Power over the Human Heart--Supernatural Character of the Gospel--A Word on Objections

CHAPTER V.

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE ACKNOWLEDGED EPISTLES. 1. These Books a Natural Sequel to the Gospels--2. _The Acts of the Apostles_--External Testimonies--3. Internal Evidence--4. Credibility--5. Date of Composition--6. _The Acknowledged Epistles_--Distinction of Acknowledged and Disputed Books--7. First Group of Pauline Epistles--Second Group, or the Pastoral Epistles--Their Date--Their Peculiar Character--8. First Epistles of Peter and First of John--9. Mutual Relation between the Gospels and Later Books--10. Argument from Undesigned Coincidences

CHAPTER VI.

THE DISPUTED BOOKS. 1. The Question here simply concerning the Extent of the Canon--2. The Primitive Age One of Free Inquiry--3. Its Diversity of Judgment no Decisive Argument against a Given Book--4. The Caution of the Early Churches gives Weight to their Judgment--This Judgment Negative as well as Positive

CHAPTER VII.

INSPIRATION AND THE CANON. General Remarks--1. Rule of Judgment determined--It is the Writer's Relation to Christ--2. Christ Himself Infallible--3. _The Apostles_--They held the nearest Relation to Him--Their Infallibility as Teachers shown--From the Necessity of the Case--From Christ's Express Promises--From their Own Declarations-- Summary of the Argument in Respect to the Apostles--4. Inspiration of the _Apostolic Men_--5. Argument from the Character of the Books of the New Testament--6. The Inspiration of the Sacred Writers Plenary-- 7. Principles on which the Canon is formed

CHAPTER VIII.

INSEPARABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENT. General Remarks--1. Previous Revelations implied in Christ's Advent--2. In the Character of the Jewish People--3. Proved from the New Testament-- Christ's Explicit Declarations--4. The New Testament based on the Facts of the Old--The Fall of Man--The Abrahamic Covenant, which was conditioned on Faith alone, and fulfilled in Christ--Christ the End of the Mosaic Economy--In its Prophetical Order--In its Kingly Office--In its Priestly Office--5. The New Testament Writers the Interpreters of the Old